


Rising of the Shield Hero- Forged Heroics

by MaxRenRez



Category: Code Vein (Video Game), 盾の勇者の成り上がり - アネコユサギ | Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari | The Rising of the Shield Hero - Aneko Yusagi
Genre: F/M, Not actually Code Vein but has major elements of it, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:40:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24116659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxRenRez/pseuds/MaxRenRez
Summary: THIS IS BEING DISCONTINUED. LOOK FOR THE REWRITE DOCUMENT ON MY PROFILE.
Kudos: 9





	1. This is a testing chapter.

Alright, this is mainly a testing chapter to make sure I can figure out how to properly upload something on this site. I'm used to uploading on FFN, so this format is very new to me. Bear with me as I figure this out.  
  
Also, there will be some deviations in the actual way that some characters act due to oversights on my part. To be brutally honest, when they're seen, it's fairly obvious to see what they are. I also sped through the first chapter to get everything set up, so keep that in mind as you read it, because that played into the fact that I made a few mistakes in ways of timeline. But since I'm five chapters deep into the official manuscript for _Forged Heroics,_ I can't necessarily change anything like that. I'll update everything as soon as I can based on the things that I've actually got typed out, and I'll update both sites accordingly.


	2. Yet Another Alternate World Story?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting things started a bit quicker than you might expect. Bad habit of mine because I don't like doing introductions, but here we go. Try to catch the references to various media throughout the storyline if you can.

The chill of the air around him seemed to rip directly through his clothing as Max readjusted his coat for what felt like the hundredth time. It was remarkably cold today for reasons that he never could understand. In his hometown, they often joked that Cedar Springs, North Carolina was the only place in America with weather bipolar enough to experience all four seasons in one week. This week was particularly frigid, and had frozen pipes all over the state without much regard for the owners of the property they were attached to. Not that he really cared, though. He always liked the cold weather a little more than the heat, anyways. There was only so much clothing you could take off before it bordered on exhibitionism, after all. 

Anyways, getting back on track. 

Max wasn’t exactly walking through this place with the intent to wander. Today was payday, but he also had a day off from law school, and he’d finished his Psychology homework, so he decided to treat himself a little. A lovely Hibachi restaurant called Seppari was his destination. He remembered coming here with his dad a few years back, so this place always stuck with him. It was expensive, but the food was worth it. It was one of those places where they cooked the food on a grill in front of you, and more often than not, you’d leave full and satisfied. So now, here he sat, awaiting the arrival of the chef that he’d known as Anthony. 

It was odd. Usually, this place would have more than a few people waiting for food. Unlike now, where he and a dead-eyed janitor in the corner were the only ones that were in the dining area. At the very least, he expected to see a waitress or something asking for a drink. He waited patiently, but still, nobody came. He kicked his legs back and forth, then winced when they hit something hard that was sticking out farther than the counter was supposed to be. Upon further inspection, it was a book. A heavy one at that, given a thick leather cover with a smooth finish. The title of the book was one that he had never heard of, especially since there was no synopsis on the back or in the inner cover to explain what this was about.

“ _ Legends of the Cardinal Heroes and Vassal Wielders? _ What is this, some kind of fantasy novel?” Upon skimming through the pages, it was initially shown as a dossier for the various heroes throughout the history of whatever this world was. The heroes of the Sword, the Spear, the Bow, and the Shield were the Cardinal Heroes, all wielding legendary weapons unlike anything else in the world. Alongside them, though a little less popular, there were the Vassal Wielders. They also had powerful weapons, but these grew alongside their user and changed according to their wishes at times. Unfortunately, due to the non-heroic natures of their origin, they were overshadowed more often than not by the main four, and had to work their way up from the bottom. Their main task was always to assist the Cardinal Heroes in their quests.

It began telling their tales of grandeur, telling of the monsters they’ve slain or the people they’ve met, the quests they’ve completed… everything. Max found himself absorbed in the book, if not to humor himself for just a little bit. He learned that the Shield was oftentimes shunned by the other heroes for seeming weak, and would enlist the aid of a species known as demi-humans in order to level himself up. As an interesting side effect, he had a complete immunity to alcohol and most status effects. He was beginning to think that this world was a lot like that of a video game when suddenly the pages went blank. They just cut off, as if the person had stopped writing in the middle. He checked the rest of the pages, but they were blank as well. When he went back to the Vassal Wielder section, his thoughts slammed to a screeching halt. “What the…?”   
  
The book fell from his fingers as he realized that there was a new addition to the book that was previously in his hands.    
  
It was his own face, under the guise of being something known as the Veil Hero. He quickly pulled the book back into his grasp, reading over the abilities of the Veil Hero and what he could do. The Veil didn’t have the ability to use any weapons or equip any armor, as the veil he wore served as both. The people in various kingdoms often shunned this hero due to his level of violence, as this hero’s main and most effective method of strengthening himself was consuming the flesh of monsters… and eating it raw, of all things! 

“Why the hell am I in this thing?! This doesn’t make sense!” He spoke out loud, then took another look around the dining area. He was alone now. When he looked back at the book, it was shining. “Ok, it’s time to wake up now! Come on, Max! Get a hold of yourself!” As the dim shine grew to be a brilliant glow, he found his thoughts once again moving to a crawl as he blacked out. 

Several voices were heard inside his head after this, but he recognized none of them.

_ “Where the hell is this thing taking him?” _

_ “Dunno. This might as well be an anime, dude! Maybe we’re going to another world!” _ _   
  
_

_ “As long as I can relax, I don’t care where we’re going.” _ _   
  
_

_ “Quiet, you three. He may hear us. He is not quite ready for that yet.” _

_ “It will not be too much longer before he is, ******. We must be ready.” _

When he finally came to, he was falling, but thankfully not very far. Didn’t stop it from hurting, though. His head and back slammed into the floor, groaning heavily as he did so. “Ngh…. damn… anyone get the number on that truck?” His ears were ringing, but it didn’t stop him from hearing something that caused his head to whip around on his shoulders. 

“Wait… I thought there were only supposed to be four of us?”

As his head turned around several times to get a read on his location, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets with how wide they were. “What in the name of… Where the hell am I?” The area he had been transported to looked like a full on castle, like the ones you’d see in medieval textbooks or fantasy games. A group of people in robes were seen at the forefront of the room, and in the back, several different adventurers in honest-to-god armor. Every single one of them looked just as confused as he did. Beside him, four people in clothing similar to his own, much to his confusion. “Ok, can someone fill me in? I feel like this is the most confusing thing that’s happened to me in a long time.”   
  


Evidently, he had been summoned into this alternate world for the sake of helping the four Cardinal Heroes in their quest to stop the Waves of Catastrophe, whatever those were. Although the summoning ritual hadn’t intended to summon him, some outside factor had thrown him into the mix as well, leading to where he was now, a strange piece of clothing attached to his shoulder and his head aching as if he’d been slammed with a steamroller. “Ok, then… if this is some kind of dream, wake me up when it’s over. Because I am nowhere near high enough for this to be a hallucination, and I’m fairly certain I didn’t develop insanity during the fall. Ergo, this has to be a dream of some kind.” 

A blond boy with a spear walked over to him and slapped him on the back, jarring him and ending his little scientific tirade. “Come on, man! Wake up? You’re in another world! You should be able to recognize that, right? What’s your name? You gotta tell us something about yourself, dude. Otherwise, we can’t really work together, you know?” The pain in his back only worsened with the slap. The one in question had introduced himself as Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero.

“Max Syrus, 21. I’m studying law and psychology.” He stood, cracking his back somewhat painfully. Some of the adventurers in the back winced as he did so, as the sound was loud enough to echo. “Guess all that doesn’t really have any place here, though…” As his eyes scanned the crowd, he noted adventurers of different body types, genders, apparent skill sets, and personalities. No two people in the room were truly alike. 

“Regardless of that fact, it’s important to have something that you’re good at.” The one with the sword spoke. He’d introduced himself as Ren Amaki, the Sword Hero. He had a very calm and collected personality, and even reminded Max of the standard anime protagonist. “It might help you here in some way or another. Any skill is a useful skill depending on how you use it.” 

“Well said, Ren.” The next was named Itsuki Kawasumi, the Bow Hero. Max wasn’t quite sure why, but something about this kid didn’t really sit well with him. He had never been a huge fan of the bow and arrow, and he wasn’t really a fan of the Robin Hood vibe this guy was giving off. “It might not do much in a game world, but who knows? You could probably use that to predict attacks or something!” Max’s face adopted a deadpan expression after that, but any thought he had was interrupted by a faint voice in the back of his mind saying,  _ Right. Like that’s gonna happen. This isn’t a superhero story, kid. _ Before he had the chance to focus on that, the last of the four spoke up.

“Well, if you’re here to help, I guess another set of hands couldn’t hurt.” This one was named Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero. “Not sure what your weapon is, but as long as you’re on our side, everything should be fine, right?” Max looked down at his wrist, which had a weird black bandage wrapping around it from the strange clothing now on his shoulder. On his left wrist, seemingly embedded in his flesh, there was a deep red gem the size of a walnut. He scratched it a few times, but after realizing it wouldn’t be able to come loose, he left it alone. 

“Apparently, I’m something called the Veil Hero. Not exactly sure what that’ll entail, but I guess I’ll just roll with it for now.”

Several minutes of exposition later, since the readers most likely have seen everything by now, staring intently into the gem in his wrist. Everyone had pointed out what looked like a game screen within their fields of vision, which he found rather easily. He hadn’t played any games like this before, but the system this was based on seemed pretty similar to that of Ark: Survival Evolved. For the most part, he tuned out the majority of what was happening around him as he learned the ins and outs of this system, eventually finding himself entirely alone in the room where the Cardinal Heroes had been mere moments ago. 

In the fields outside the castle, where many adventurers start, he spent his day fighting balloon creatures that had various colors to them. They weren’t that difficult to kill, especially since anyone with even a hint of fighting knowledge can beat something as simple as a balloon. He wasn’t the most seasoned fighter, but his dad was a member of the US Army, and had taught him basic combat. The gem in his wrist served as a sort of inventory system alongside a management system, and made his current adventuring thing significantly easier. That being said, he found himself hitting a wall at some point, since he had no idea how to use his Veil. 

This meant that until he figured out how to use it, he’d be left behind by the other heroes. This was not something he was looking forward to. He began scanning his help screen in his spare time, reading up on his weapon as much as he could. Even during the night, when he was supposed to be sleeping. He was interrupted that same night when he heard a commotion from the hallway. Upon investigation, he found that it was due to Naofumi being escorted somewhere by the guards. A single thought passed through his mind as he viewed this spectacle.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are gonna get to be a lot more in depth than this first one. You're probably tired of seeing this line, but this first chapter was rushed significantly, and I wanted to get onto the next one. You'll probably like the rest of them a lot more than the first one.


	3. Adventurer by Day, Copyright Infringement by Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A massive Ace Attorney reference for all who read this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Max silently followed along as the Shield Hero and the guards made their way to the throne room, his sense of dread increasing as he moved along. One voice inside his head said, _What the hell is happening? This isn’t making any sense._ He disregarded it, looking into the throne room as guards surrounded Naofumi while Motoyasu brandished his spear. Yelling could be heard, but honestly he couldn’t understand a word of it. At the forefront of the room, standing beside the heroes and in front of the king, was the red haired adventurer known as Myne. Deciding to bite the bullet, he stepped into the hall and asked, “What’s going on? I was in my room and heard a lot of noise.” The explanation he received chilled him.

“Naofumi raped the princess!” Motoyasu shouted.

“I told you, I’m innocent, damn it! I never even touched her! Not only that, my gear and money were all stolen as well!” Naofumi countered, incredibly defensive. 

“So you finally reveal your true colors, Accursed Shield! Not only do you dare lay a hand on my daughter, but you have the audacity to lie about it!” King Aultcray roared, slamming his fist down on the arm of his throne. Max was lost in all the shouting, but there was the sound of someone clearing their throat to silence the room, which just so happened to be the Bow Hero. After this, Itsuki was all too eager to provide an explanation, noticing that Max’s fingers appeared to be tapping on his leg in a very strange manner while he talked.

“According to 1st Princess Malty, Naofumi barged in her room while drunk out of his mind and raped her, or at least tried to.” As Itsuki spoke, Max’s silver eyes traced the room and took note of everything. Facial expressions, body language, breathing and speaking patterns, and other things that aren’t worth mentioning. “She managed to escape and run to Motoyasu’s room, and told him what happened. She came in here and told the king, clinging to him for protection.”

Something clicked in Max’s head, and as soon as he did, he gave a shout that silenced the entire room and caused even Motoyasu to step back a little out of surprise.

**_“OBJECTION!!!!”_ **

With the majority of the eyes in the room on his person, he made a gamble as he spoke his next words. “So, you’re basing this entire claim off of something that the Princess said, correct? You have no other witnesses that can confirm it?” He began to switch into the mentality of the lawyer that he had planned to become. Myne’s eye visibly twitched (a detail that he picked up on immediately), but she quickly switched to the victim act.

“Oh, no… Don’t tell me that the Veil Hero has also been in the clutches of the Shield Demon!” She took an exaggerated, almost dramatic pose as she said this, putting on a fake voice to make herself seem more believable to her father and the other heroes. “Not even one of the heroes can withstand the Shield Demon's brainwashing ma-”  
  


 **_“HOLD IT!”_ ** Another jarring shout was expelled from his lungs as he pointed his index finger at the Princess, who stepped back in surprise from the authority packed into two simple words. “I’m defending him because of a few things. One is that I don’t like you, princess, and the second is that I couldn’t really call myself a lawyer if I didn’t defend those that needed my services in a court of law. For starters, any claim that is made involving the act of accusing a person of a crime as serious as sexual assault needs several things.” He held up a single finger. “One is either an affidavit from a witness or physical evidence to prove this claim, i.e. with a rape kit or visible injuries. You can’t back up a claim by just saying that he did it, no matter if you’re a commoner or royalty. You’ll have to have a doctor from outside perform an examination to back this claim up.” Another finger was added to the total. 

“Two. All physical evidence must be counted as valid by a judge before the court session begins.” A third and final finger rose to stand tall alongside the other two. “Third, all admitted evidence must be strong enough to meet the legal burden of proof for the given situation, ranging from reasonable suspicion to preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence, or beyond a reasonable doubt. Testimonies, exhibits, documentary material, or demonstrative evidence, which are admissible in as judicial or administrative proceeding, are the types of evidence that are allowed to be submitted for use in trial proceedings.” He brushed some of his hair over his shoulder with a bit of a flourish, saying, “Everything there is taught at a basic level in law school. Any student worth their salt knows that.”

Silence. 

He realized that with all this law talk, he might as well be speaking a different language, considering none of them seemed to understand it. “I get the distinct impression that none of you are understanding me. Well, at least I have your attention, if nothing else. My point is that you’re doing this all wrong. The plaintiff isn’t supposed to be the one delivering the verdict on what to do with the defendant. The lawyers are supposed to find out what happened, and the judge makes the final verdict. Otherwise, it’s not a fair trial. Since I’m the only one with any actual court based experience, I guess I’ll be the Defense Attorney responsible for clearing your name. Eh, Naofumi?” The Shield Hero flinched as his name was mentioned. Max tapped the gem in his hand for a moment, digging through the things he’d found thus far on his journey and pulling out a few berries. “Want one?” 

“...sure.” Naofumi gingerly took one of the berries in hand, popping it into his mouth. The look on his face seemed to reflect that he liked the taste, so he took another one and repeated the process. Over the course of his questioning, Naofumi would consume about seven of them.  
  
“So, Naofumi. Tell us a little about yourself. What were you like before you came here?” Max asked, popping one of the berries into his own mouth. He slipped something white into his mouth as well, but didn’t allow Naofumi to see it. His hand began tapping his leg again. The question he asked caused surprise to cross the faces of the heroes.   
  
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?! He’s on trial for rape, for crying out loud!” Itsuki snapped, but Max ignored him.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I really wasn’t anyone special. Average guy with an average family. They did pretty well for themselves. Aside from the allowance I got from them, I didn’t interact with them much.” He leaned back a little, his hand going to rest in his pocket. “Just your average otaku, I guess.” 

“Any girlfriends? Interesting characters in your life?” 

“Not really. I mostly just kept to myself.” 

“Alright, just one more question. When you first came to this world, did you consider Myne to be attractive in any way?” Max tried his hand at a more interesting question, which in turn produced some interesting results. 

“Wha-? No, of course not.” That time, he got some significant details. Specifically, motions that Naofumi made. In particular, his shoulders tensed up and his larynx dropped. It was something that Max had trained himself to catch onto for his time in the world of law. A way to tell when a person was lying. A tell. A small grin on his face, Max turned to the heroes and the royal family members behind him.

“He’s innocent.” Naturally, this triggered some rather adverse reactions from everyone in the room, including rage from the King, annoyance from the Princess, confusion from the guards, surprise from the heroes, and shock from Naofumi. “Before you all decide to try to rip my tongue out by seeing how far up my ass you can stick a spear before you find what you’re looking for, listen to what I have to say.” Once more, he raised a single finger. “First off, the general consensus is that the entire thing happened because he was flat out drunk, right? He barged into the Princess’ room and attempted to sexually assault her?”

“Of course! Didn’t you hear what Myne said?” Motoyasu came to her defense before she could say anything, and Max could see the smug look in her eyes as he did this. He enjoyed seeing it vanish and be replaced by shock when he said his next line.  
  
“Motoyasu, either she has you wrapped so tightly around her finger that it’s turning friggin’ purple, or you’re a special kind of stupid. The statement that he was drunk is a blatant lie.” Once more, a sea of murmurs spread throughout the throne room. “Allow me to explain. These berries clued me into that fact.” He held up one of the berries he had given Naofumi, and tossed it to one of the guards. “Try that on for size.” When the guard popped it into his mouth, he immediately turned blue and crumpled to the floor, an unknown substance foaming around his mouth. 

“What the hell have you done, Veil?! Are you poisoning my men?!” The king bellowed, and Max waved it off as he moved over to the guard.

“Keep your royal panties on, and loosen the knot in them while you’re at it. It’s not poison. Both Naofumi and I ate them, yet we’re still alive. Regarding the berries themselves, I had them appraised while I was in town. I figured giving people in town a hand could help my reputation a little.” As he spoke, he stuck two fingers in the guard’s mouth, reaching down to his throat and triggering his gag reflex. The guard quickly threw up the substance that he had consumed, hacking and coughing as he did so. “They’re Rucolu fruits. From what I learned from a merchant while doing a few odd jobs today, they’re used to make wine. Evidently, you have to dilute just one in a cask of water for several days to get anything drinkable. The only way I was able to resist the effects of the one I ate is because of a medicine I got in return for helping an old lady carry groceries. Even then, I’m still on the verge of feeling a bit tipsy, because these things are powerful. Naofumi ate seven, yet he’s steadier than most of you. Furthermore…” He readjusted his Veil, which had fallen into an uncomfortable position. “...when I came here, I had been reading a book about the Cardinal Heroes and Vassal Heroes like myself. I found that the Shield Hero was completely immune to the effects of alcohol and and motion sickness.”

“Completely immune? If that’s the case…” Ren finally spoke, turning to look up at the Princess with a skeptical look. “...you’ve been lying to us.” Immediately, Myne grew defensive and glared at Max with the intent to kill, shooting a very similar look towards Naofumi. But before she could say anything, the one her gaze was aimed at spoke up. 

“Obviously. Come on, did you actually believe her? Her immediate appearance threw up flags that were a brighter red than her hair. She’s a pathological liar. Not to mention, in these cases, the victim very rarely clings so tightly to another man that soon after being assaulted, as they can’t form any meaningful relationships for quite some time. Yet you said that she was basically attached at the hip to Motoyasu when she came in here. That’s what clued me into any of this in the first place.” She looked like she was about to blow a gasket. “You know, I only noticed it once when you first started on with your barrel of horseshit, since that’s the only lie I managed to catch. But you have a very noticeable tell that you can’t quite hide due to that vibrant hair color.” He pointed at his eye with a finger. “It’s your eye. It twitches when someone stops you in the middle of a lie. Another one is that if you manage to tell one without anybody catching it, you have a really bad habit of smirking.” Immediately, she covered her mouth. 

“Fine, then! If you’re so good at telling when people are lying, why don’t you tell us this? How do you know that the Shield isn’t lying to you?” She smirked once more behind her hand, but Max immediately wiped it right off.  
  
“Because that last question I asked him was meant to make him lie. That’s the only time his tell was triggered.” He pointed at his shoulders, then at his own throat. “First off, his shoulders tense in response. It’s a defensive reaction. Second, his larynx drops in his throat, a reactionary measure to allow him to project his voice to prove his case.” As soon as he said this, Naofumi’s hands went to his shoulders and his throat, unaware that he’d done that in the first place. “It’s a common trope in sexual assault cases. When the defendant is asked about the victim’s attractiveness, they often lie to save their asses. After all, if you don’t find the person attractive, you can’t really put it in them very easily. Hell, if it weren’t for the fact that my immediate thought upon seeing you was ‘Backstabbing Bitch,’ I probably would’ve felt the same.” Motoyasu’s face twisted in anger upon hearing this. 

“Okay, now you’re just going too far! There’s proving innocence, and there's just being cruel!” He brandished his spear at Max, who pushed it aside. 

“Unknot your panties, overcompensating Spear Hero. I’m proving a point. If this is how you react to something like this, turning on each other the moment someone throws around accusations, you don’t deserve to be heroes.” He glared at Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki. “None of you. You’re meant to fight the Waves, but you’ve got your heads so far up your own asses because you get to be heroes, you can’t see when someone is trying to frame one of your own. This isn’t some kind of game, you idiots. Actions have consequences. If you can’t see that…” He shook his head. “...well, I guess I can’t fight alongside you.” Outraged by the things he had been saying, Aultcray slammed his fist down on his throne again.

“You’re turning traitor to the crown?! Accursed Veil!” The guards around him brandished their weapons again, but this time at Max. “I’ve heard from the Shadows that you have yet to properly use the Veil you have been given.” _The hell is a Shadow?_ “Either you are overly confident in your skills, or you have no idea how to use it. Guards, seize him! Remove this traitor from my sight immediately!”

Silence befell the room moments later as the sound of shifting fabric and unsheathing metal could be heard. Each guard surrounding him had a look of shock on his face, which was replaced with abject horror. 

Metallic ribbons revealed themselves from the shoulder cloth that he had yet to use, wrapping themselves around his arm. They also travelled up his face, covering the lower half and becoming a sort of mask. When the mask took shape, so did his arm, which formed into a vicious black and red claw that pulsed with his heartbeat.   
  
"Fine, then. If you think your guards can take me, let them try. I dare you." As his voice echoed within his mask, his gaze sharpened, those silver eyes turning from vibrant and full of life to downright venomous, tinted with crimson due to the effect of the weapon. It sent a chill down the spine of everyone. "If you want to brand me a traitor, I'll make the Waves look like a fucking joke. After all… the Veil is the only weapon in history that's meant to feed off of the enemies it slaughters, right? I'll use it to take every single one of you apart."

Silence.

The guards around him withdrew their weapons, and Max soon did the same with his Veil. “Smart choice. It’s good to know that at least someone in the castle has a hint of a brain in their head.” His gaze turned to Naofumi, reverting to its original state. “How about it? Now that your name has been cleared and Myne has been called out on her bullshit, feel like working with the heroes again?” He’d been expecting the Shield Hero to at least forgive the heroes at a very minimum, but the answer he received wasn’t one he was expecting.

“Screw that.”

“Sorry?” Max tilted his head, as if he hadn’t quite understood what was being said.

“I said, ‘Screw that.’ How the hell am I supposed to help these people if they blindly follow what that Bitch tries to tell them? If not for you backing me up, I’d be screwed right now!” Naofumi raised his voice, once again surprising Max. He’d been telling the truth thus far, so these were his genuine feelings. “I can’t even begin to trust them! If I can’t trust the heroes I was sent here with, how am I supposed to trust anyone in this world?” Max blinked a few times, then sighed. 

“I guess I can’t really blame you, Naofumi. What are you gonna do?” He rested his hand on his own hip, leaning to the side a little. 

“I’ll go my own way. Right now, I can’t really trust anyone.” Naofumi turned on his heel, moving towards the door without listening to anything that the heroes might say to convince him otherwise. Before he left completely, he turned his head slightly towards the heroes. “Thank you, though. If you hadn’t said anything, I might not have made it out of that as well as I did. Although I don’t fully trust you just yet, I feel like I can trust you a little more than I can these other people.” With a small smile on his face, Max gave a two fingered salute. 

“Yeah. I look forward to working with you, Shield.”

“Right back at you, Veil. 

As the Shield Hero turned his back on the other three, the doors to the throne room slammed shut and left the room in complete silence. Max looked back at the other heroes, who were looking between each other without saying a word. The King looked like he’d been slapped, and Myne honestly looked like she would explode at the slightest provocation. Motoyasu was dumbfounded, Ren was passive as always, and Itsuki looked uncomfortable.

“Well, now that all of that is finished, I’m gonna get some rest. I’m going hunting tomorrow.” Max crossed his arms behind his head, stretching a little as he followed Naofumi’s lead. Nobody seemed to want to stop him, so he didn’t wait for anyone to say anything before he left. “Oh, but one more thing.” His gaze turned ever so slightly to allow one silver eye to be seen. It had once again gone from vibrant to hostile, sending chills down the spine of both the Princess and the King. “Don’t try that again. You brought us here to save your dumb asses from something you couldn’t stop by yourselves. Unless you want to turn every hero in the kingdom against you, you won’t do that again.”

The door slammed shut as his foot passed the threshold of the room once more, and the Veil Hero ended his first day within this strange world where not even those that are of the highest authority could be trusted. He slept with one eye open that night, not sure who to trust right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, before anyone says anything, I'm aware that Naofumi's Shield doesn't actually make him immune to alcohol or motion sickness, and that he has those attributes naturally. I wasn't aware of this at the time of writing, but I didn't change it when I learned it because once again, I'm too far into the story to actually change the entire thing around that fact.  
> Another thing is that it's been said several times that if Naofumi has his name cleared from the very start, he becomes what the fans call PureFumi thanks to the Reprise of the Spear Hero spinoff. I'm not doing that this time around. He'll still be ridiculously distrustful of everyone around him, save for a few people. The reasoning was stated in the chapter. If Melromarc's royalty would go so far as to fake a rape just to nail him and get him out of the way, he'd only trust them about as far as he could throw them. Same deal with the Heroes, since they so easily believed the accusation without even listening to Naofumi's side of the story. He'll still get Raphtalia from Beloukas, and he'll still go down the same path (mostly) as a night merchant.  
> In reference to the 'Shadows' comment from the king, I'm running off of an idea that Allen Blaster used in his story Hope of the Shield Hero, where the Church of the Three Heroes has access to their own sect of Shadows. Why? It makes things more interesting to know that someone is watching the Heroes at every given moment. Go check his story out on FFN if you get the chance, because I highly recommend it.  
> One last thing, I know the formatting is absolute trash. I do my writing on Google Docs and paste it over here, so it looks like crap pretty much everywhere else but mobile.


	4. Patience, Powers, and Past Experiences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of an explanation as to how the Veil works. Figured it was somewhat important to mention.

When the Veil Hero came to first thing in the morning, his immediate reaction was to check the room he was staying in. If there was anything that he knew, it was that he shouldn’t trust the King or the Princess any further than he could throw them. For all he knew, the latter could have tried to hire someone to slash his throat in the middle of the night, and if what the King said had any merit, there were people well versed in stealth that he was not aware of watching him whenever the King felt it was necessary. When he was sure nothing in his room had been tampered with, he gave a slight sigh of relief. Despite his somewhat meticulous nature, he didn’t seem to think too far ahead when he threatened the first Princess and the King. Then again, if they were desperate enough to summon heroes to deal with these waves, then it’s possible they weren’t very strong. Regardless of any of that, Max stretched his back, cracked his neck and knuckles, then gave a somewhat loud yawn. 

“Guess it’s time to get this show on the road!” 

He headed out of his room after getting dressed, his arms crossed behind his head. He had an old rap song stuck in his head. It was a song from the 80s, something he last heard with his dad. It was always a song he treasured, since it was one of his father’s favorites. He found himself quietly repeating the lyrics on more than one occasion. Sure, it made the guards of the castle and pretty much any villager he passed looked at him as if he was a nutcase (since rap didn’t exactly exist here), but the Veil Hero for whatever reason had a history of always being a little batty, so he used that to his advantage. He didn’t really have a reason to put any stock in the rumors that would be passed around, especially not today. He had something to do today.

His first order of business was going to a blacksmith shop to test something he’d learned about his help menu. 

“Heya, Old Man Erhard. Business going as well as usual?” He greeted the man in charge of the shop, who simply grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

“Mornin’, Veil Kiddo. Fun bit of info, Shield Bro came by a few hours ago with a kid in tow. A demi-human from the looks of her. Kinda cute in a kid sort of way.” The words he spoke caused Max to raise an eyebrow.    
  
“Really? That doesn’t surprise me all that much, to be honest.” His hands went to his hips. “Didn’t the legends of the Shield Hero always say that he would ally himself with demi-humans? I haven’t seen many around the capital, now that I think about it…” His face gained a pensive look.   
  
“Demi-humans aren’t really drawn to this place very often, all things considered. People keep them as slaves here. It’s not legal in most other countries, but things are different around here.”

“Guess that explains it. Still annoys me that it happens. Back in my world, there are two types of people. Those that like animal features and liars. I’m not a very good liar, so you know where I stand on that front.” Max was now looking through his inventory through the gem in his wrist, viewing the few things he possessed. One of which was the coat he had been wearing and the long raincoat he had been carrying when he had been brought here, as well as the scarf he had on due to the cold weather. He had always been a meticulous person, and carried a little more than what he had to in order to make sure he was prepared. Given where he was from, it was to be expected. He decided to take a look at the system he discovered last night in the help menu, removing all three from his inventory. Erhard looked at this with a bit of curiosity.   
  
“What are you doing, exactly?” He picked up the raincoat, not quite sure what to think of it.

“Trying something out. My help screen showed me something a second ago, and I wanted to give this a go before doing anything else.” He picked up the coat first, concentrating. “If what it said was right…” A prompt appeared on his screen. 

**Configuration Unlocked- Ogre**

**Configuration Unlocked- Hounds**

**Equipment Copied- Standard Hound Veil**

“Oh?” This was his immediate reaction. “That worked a lot better than I thought!” By concentrating a little harder, he felt the cloth on his arm and shoulder disappear, replaced by a somewhat heavy feeling on his shoulders. The coat he had been wearing was zipped up around his neck, and his arms weren’t in the sleeves. Evidently, this is how this system was designed. “Could you pass me that raincoat?”

“Uh… sure.” Erhard handed him back his raincoat, which he proceeded to concentrate on. Again, he was met with a prompt from his HUD.

**Configuration Unlocked- Stinger**

**Equipment Copied- Standard Stinger Veil**

“It’s working, Old Man! It’s really working!” There was clear excitement in his voice as he changed Veils again, this time to the raincoat, which he wore as it was supposed to be. “Dude, this is insane! Imagine the things I can do with this! Give me the scarf, quickly!” Deciding not to question the most likely insane Veil Hero, he wordlessly handed him the scarf in question, which he held in hand. 

**Configuration Unlocked- Ivy**

**Equipment Copied- Standard Ivy Veil**

“Nice!” Lastly, he equipped his new Veil, the scarf he copied resting against his shoulders. It functioned exactly like a scarf normally would, other than only wrapping around his neck once before running down his back. Erhard coughed, grabbing his attention.   
  
“Alright, so what exactly is this Veil thing, anyways? I don’t know the legend behind the Veil Hero, so I don’t know what this thing is.” He scratched his head slightly, looking over at the other. Max leaned against the wall upon hearing this, next to a mannequin with a set of armor that was a mixture of white cloth and silver metal. 

“Well, I don’t really know myself, to be honest. I only really got a glimpse of what it was when I was reading about it. Evidently, the Veil and the wielder have to be in complete sync to wield it efficiently.” He raised a single finger. “First off, it runs off of blood. By stabbing it into an enemy to drain the blood of an enemy through the Veil, the user can drink it and gain an understanding of their powers. The more blood, the better. The Veil itself stores it, so I won’t have to worry about blood borne illnesses.” 

“Well, it’s convenient, at the very least. Still, drinking blood? How the hell does that work?” Erhard crossed his arms, gaining a curious look.

“The Veil forms a mask once the weapon is formed. The only one I’ve used so far is the Ogre one, and that forms into a sort of claw for my right hand. I haven’t used it except for when I was in the Royal Court, and that was on a whim. I can’t fully control this yet.” 

“Hold on, ‘Royal Court?’ Why were you using it there?” Erhard waved his hands back and forth for a second, trying to get him to back up. 

“Long story short, the Princess tried to accuse Naofumi of rape, but I defended him using my knowledge of law. When the King tried to have me removed as a traitor for threatening to refuse to help the heroes in the waves, I pulled this out as a method of telling him where to stick it. Because if he wouldn’t, I would, and I’d be painting the place red.” He shook his head. “Honestly, it seems like royalty can’t be trusted in this place.”   
  


“So that’s why Shield Bro had such a tough expression…” Erhard seemed to validate this statement with a fact that Max was unaware of. “It definitely would explain a lot.” He leaned up against the counter. “Well, at least I know now.”

“That’s the first I’m hearing of that. Then again, I haven’t seen Naofumi since the incident. In that case, who really knows what he’s been up to?” He shook his head. “Anyways, getting back on track.” He lifted a second finger. “The second thing is meat. Evidently, in order to gain the abilities and properties of a creature I kill, I have to eat it. I can’t cook it, either. Something about knowledge being lost to the flames of civilization. I dunno. On the bright side, it prevents me from getting sick from eating raw meat.” He seemed to shudder a little. “Definitely not looking forward to that.”

“I don’t blame you. If you have to eat things raw, then I don’t think anybody can get used to something like that. Generally not a thing that normal people do, after all.” Erhard looked over at the lunch he’d set out for himself. “That doesn’t prevent you from eating other things, does it?” 

“Oh, god no. Thankfully, whoever designed this damn thing had the sense to allow them to eat if needed. In that regard, I can still eat food if I want. Granted, I haven’t been able to taste any normal food since I got here, but that’s beside the point.” A third and final finger was raised. “Finally, we have the part that’s the easiest to accomplish. I have to feed the majority of the skin to my weapon for it to get a proper handle on what it’s properties are. Makes it a little difficult to manage, but I can do it. In the end, the only things left are the bones.” He gave a slightly exaggerated shrug, his arms going out to his sides. “Guess not everything has a use, huh?” Unexpectedly, his HUD lit up with a new message.

**Equipment Copied- Silver Garb**

**Rarity- Mastercraft** **  
** **Ivy: +10% Ivy Reach, +10% Return Fire Damage**

**Ogre: +10% Slash Resistance, +10% Return Fire Elemental Damage**

**Hounds: +10% Crush Resistance, -10% Damage when using Return Fire**

**Stinger: +10% Pierce Resistance, +10% Return Fire chance**

**Special Skill: Return Fire** \-  _ 60% Chance to absorb Magic based projectiles and return them for 30% of their original damage. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

“Hm?” He looked towards his hand, then at the outfit beside him. He’d accidentally copied the armor that had been beside him, and flinched slightly. “Oops.” Max drew his hand away right as Erhard looked towards him, tilting his head in confusion.

“What is it?” 

“Promise you won’t get mad?” Max asked, and the blacksmith shrugged. 

“Sure. What is it?” 

**“Change Veil. Silver Garb, Stinger Configuration.”** His shoulders felt significantly heavier, and he became cloaked in the same outfit that was hanging beside him. It took only a second for Erhard to realize what was happening for him to protest.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to steal from me?!” As a vein bulged on his forehead in clear agitation, Max waved his hands back and forth. 

“No, it was an accident! I brushed it with my hand and copied it by mistake!” He seemed slightly panicked, and a new voice silenced both of them, catching their attention instantly. 

“If money is an issue with this one, I can pay for it.” The figure that was standing at the door was standing at about 5’7”, and was most likely male based on the voice. He held something similar to a Japanese Nodachi, which was nowhere even close to what he would expect for this person. He was dressed in a set of armor that was exceedingly Japanese to the point where Max honestly, for just a moment, forgot he was in an alternate world. He wore a helmet as well, so Max couldn’t see his face. He gave off a serious aura that chilled Max to his core, and Erhard took a step back, as if he sensed it as well. “Greetings, Veil Hero. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” His voice was jarring, and loud as well. It echoed throughout the shop, and made both men wince in response to his voice.

“Um… hey. Nice to meet you. As you put it, I’m Max Syrus, the Veil Hero.” There was something about this person that caused him to feel uneasy. It was a commanding presence, one that somewhat compelled Max to obey anything that he was ordered to do. He stepped forward, seemingly examining the young man that was in front of him. He placed his hand on his chin, tilting his head. A very surprising twist came with the man’s next sentence.    
  
“Compared to him… YOU ARE NOTHING ALIKE!” He nearly shouted, causing Max to recoil instantly. It took a second for him to realize that this voice didn’t contain even a hint of anger with that statement. Just a really,  _ really _ overzealous nature.   
  


“I’m… sorry? What do you mean?” Max was somewhat confused, but now he was intrigued. The man simply leaned back, crossing his arms. His expression was completely unreadable, so Max had no idea what he could be thinking. 

“My old master, the previous wielder of the Dark Veil. His name was Gregorio Silva. A military genius from the distant land of Japan. He taught me what I know about military tactics and practically raised me.” This caused Max to raise an eyebrow. A distant voice in his head said,  _ Well, that explains the armor. _ His other eyebrow raised and met with his hairline when he realized what the samurai had said. 

“Wait, seriously? You knew the last Veil wielder? Also, this thing is called the Dark Veil?” He looked down at the jewel in his wrist, as if he had been unaware.    
  
“Indeed. He was a very dangerous man on the battlefield, and a very charismatic man as well. He could rally troops with but a sentence of motivation. When in battle, he used the Veil as an afterthought, as he rarely needed it outside of his own strength. He was quite powerful. Compared to him…” His voice returned to that loud and overzealous state again, causing Max to cover his ears in response. “...YOU ARE BUT A NOVICE!”

“Could you calm down a little?! Seriously, I’ve had a rough start in this world, my guy! I already have the King, the 1st Princess, and half the Cardinal Heroes hating my guts right about now! Besides, if you’re gonna walk in and start yelling, could you at least introduce yourself first? I can’t hear your name if you blow my eardrums out, dude.” He uncovered his ears as his Veil returned to its compact state as the  **Standard Ogre Veil.** His words seemed to intrigue the samurai greatly, and he complied with his request.

“Apologies. I harbor a great amount of respect for the Veil Hero, being raised by one in the past. I am known as Kaen Hagane, an adventurer.” He gave a bow, just as the Japanese would do upon greeting someone. “If I may ask…” Even through the mask, the moment that he stood straight from his bowing position, he could tell that the hidden eyes were staring directly through him. “...why and how have you made so many enemies upon your arrival?”

“Long story short, the 1st Princess is a pathological liar and a bitch, the king is a piece of shit, three of the four heroes don’t deserve to be called such, and the only worthy person out of all of them is immediately cast out due to the Princess most likely having a vendetta against him. Hell, if it weren’t for me defending him, he might’ve been thrown into the friggin’ dungeon. I wouldn’t have been far behind him if not for the fact that I pretty much threatened to rip out the guts of anyone that even tried to attack me, and tear my way through the kingdom until I was out.” He crossed his arms behind his head. “In a nutshell, that’s been my life in this world thus far. My only good experiences with it have been talking with some of the villagers during community service.” During his little speech, he could’ve sworn Kaen raised an eyebrow. He didn’t have to see it to notice it.

“Oh? While it seems you are lacking in the raw power that made my Old Master as dangerous as he was, it appears that you have a different talent about you. Evidently, you have a talent for picking people apart on a psychological level, and using that to your advantage. From what you told me, you used this knowledge to clear the name of the Shield Hero. For that, I commend you. You possess a different strength than most.” Kaen seemed impressed, if his tone was anything to go off of.

“I guess I should pop the question then, huh?” Max joked, putting his hands in his pockets. “Kaen Hagane, will you join my party and help me fight the Waves of Catastrophe?” As quickly as he’d placed them in his pockets, one hand was removed and offered to the samurai. “I can’t pay you much, but I can offer you adventure.” As the armored hand met with his own, Kaen gave his answer.

“Adventure is all I ask for, Veil Hero. In return, I will help you to discover the true potential of the Dark Veil. You have my word.” The two shook hands, and Max saw a symbol in the top left corner of his HUD. The level of his new companion made his jaw drop to his ankles. 

“HOLY CRAP!”

**Kaen Hagane- LV 65**

“Is something wrong?” Kaen tilted his head to the side, and noted Max’s level. Max was only level 9. “Ah. I see. Our difference in levels. Let us not worry about that for the time being. I believe that I promised to buy you what you needed, correct?” They turned to Erhard, who had been silently watching this exchange for the majority of the time. When they turned to him, he grinned, then jabbed a thumb in the direction of his armor sets.

“What are you looking for? If you need it, I got it.”

**Equipment Copied- Enduring Crimson**

**Rarity- Ascendant** **  
** **Ivy: +15% Ivy Reach, +45% Dynamic Parry Drain Rating**

**Ogre: +40% Slash Damage, +40% Dynamic Parry Window**

**Hounds: +40% Crush Damage, +40% Dynamic Parry Damage**

**Stinger: +40% Pierce Damage, +40 Dynamic Parry Reach**

**Special Skill: Dynamic Parry-** _ Within a certain time frame, if a melee attack is parried, the opponent is temporarily stunned and a Drain Attack is automatically performed. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

**Equipment Copied- Oni Bane**

**Rarity- Ascendant** **  
** **Ivy: +60% Attack Damage, +40% Tormenting Blast Radius**

**Ogre: +30% Movement Speed, +40% Tormenting Blast Speed**

**Hounds: +30% Elemental Resistance, +40% Ignored Damage to Tormenting Blast**

**Stinger: +30% Physical Damage Resistance, +40% Tormenting Blast Dash Distance**

**Special Skill: Tormenting Blast-** _ Dash forward with all the might your body has in store, unleash an explosion of blood on impact that immobilizes foes within its reach. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

**Equipment Copied- Brodiaea**

**Rarity- Ascendant** **  
** **Ivy: -40% Overall Defense, +90% Blood Transfusion Area-of-effect**

**Ogre: -30% Overall Defense, +90% Blood Transfusion Effectiveness**

**Hounds: -10% Overall Defense, +30% Damage Boost after Blood Transfusion**

**Stinger: -20% Overall Defense, -20% Damage Taken after Blood Transfusion**

**Special Skill: Blood Transfusion-** _ Pierce an ally with your Veil to share the effects of Regeneration with any that have been pierced. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

**Equipment Copied- Dammerung**

**Rarity- Ascendant** **  
** **Ivy: +50% Heat Resistance**

**Ogre: +50% Shock Resistance**

**Hounds: +50% Ice Resistance**

**Stinger: +50% Poison Resistance**

**Special Skill: Gift of Eos-** _ Increases the effectiveness of Regeneration by 75%. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _   
  
  
_ Kaen has joined your party. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're at the end of the chapter. If you stuck with it long enough to see this message, welcome to the author notes.   
> For any Code Vein players out there, you might've noticed the names of the new Veils he received are rather familiar. That's because as a fun wink and nod towards the initial game, I borrowed the Blood Veils of the main characters, gave them the names of the characters' weapons, and added some abilities to them that'd fit their class (At least for that of Yakumo and Louis.)   
> That's all for now readers.
> 
> ps, Yakumo is best girl in Code Vein.


	5. Slim Pickings and Shady Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blah, blah, chapter summary, let's get on with the show.

It wasn’t long after Max hired his new companion did he realize just how easily this could become a cakewalk. Sure, fighting to begin with hadn’t been easy, given that he had no idea how to use his weapon to the fullest potential  and was fighting solely based off of what his dad had taught him . He only really knew how to activate this thing when he had an overwhelming desire to defend himself. But the fact that Kaen was stupidly overpowered compared to these underleveled enemies completely blew any type of challenge out of the water. 

See, Kaen had a very unique level of control over fire magic, and was able to channel it through his sword in ridiculously powerful bursts of fire. He also had control of light magic, though he focused on attack magic that said skill tree would provide. Combine those with his brutal amounts of strength as a level 65 samurai, and you get a ridiculously powerful ally for a starting player.

On the bright side, in just two days he’d gone from level 9 to level 17. On the downside, Kaen took it upon himself to teach Max essentially everything he needed to know about the Dark Veil, and made a habit of grilling him every night about the things he’d taught. Max picked it up fairly quick, but if he got it wrong, he’d receive a whack on the head with an armored fist. For a swordsman, this guy had some impressive power in his fists.

Regardless of how they got to where they were, they ended up running into Naofumi during this time as well. He was training a small demi-human child that had racoon ears and a tail of identical race. Upon meeting her, he had to resist the urge to pet her head like a cat, because she was  _ way too friggin’ cute!!! _ Kaen was a little more bold and had patted her head once or twice, his masked face most likely hosting a bright smile just out of view. She had introduced herself as Raphtalia, and Max even kicked a ball around with her for a few minutes while they had some spare time. 

Also, apparently Kaen found it to be a great honor to meet the Shield Hero, and even bowed to him as if he was in the presence of royalty. It confused the hell out of Naofumi, Max, and Raphtalia as well, since she pretty much had no idea what was going on.

During this time, they decided to trade info based on what they’d learned. Max taught him the trick with the Weapon Copy system, which apparently popped up in Naofumi's Help Screen when he learned about it. Something interesting that Naofumi had taught him was that if the weapon he held seemed to be reacting to something he was holding, it might grant him a new Veil as it did with his Shield. One of the shields he used often was a Leaf Shield, which helped him with his collection abilities. Similarly to how Naofumi's weapon reacted, a new section appeared in his Help Screen that confirmed his words. Upon feeding said leaves to his own Veil, he was met with a prompt on his HUD.

**Unlocked- Leaflet Veil LV I**

**Rarity- Primitive**

**Ability: Forest Camouflage-** _ When equipped with this Veil, so long as you are beneath the cover of the trees, enemies will have a very hard time seeing you. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

“An unexpected development, but a welcome one.” Kaen had said, looking over the new Veil he’d added to his arsenal. “This will prove useful in floral environments.”

“No joke.” He cycled through the Veils attached to it, noting their various differences. The Ivy one wrapped around his face like a Ghillie mask. The Hound type was completely covered in brush and leaves, making him almost impossible to see from behind if he was hiding, but only if he was in a crouch. The Stinger kept his lower body hidden, and likely had room for one more person if they hid underneath. The Ogre only covered his arms, and didn’t really leave room for much else. “Or… maybe not? How the hell is this supposed to work? It’s like it’s all in pieces.” 

“Maybe it’s meant to be upgraded somehow?” Naofumi offered as Raphtalia’s ball bounced off of his head, the impact causing a small smile to form on his face as he looked down at her. It was the first time Max had seen him smile since the last confrontation, which showed that this little girl was starting to bring out the better side of him. “It would make sense.” When Raphalia looked at the Veil, she presented an idea that sent them all into thought.

“What if they were put together?”

Naofumi looked down at the racoon girl again with a thoughtful expression, then patted her on the head. Kaen wasn’t able to be properly read through that mask of his, but the way his hand rested on the lower part of the faceplate showed that he was taking this idea into consideration. Max was the one who was thinking the hardest about this, since he was going through all sorts of possibilities on how exactly to make that work. 

“That reminds me, Naofumi. Where exactly did you find Raphtalia? We need a few more party members, but I can’t really think of anyone quite crazy enough to join a samurai with the destructive capabilities of a nuclear bomb and the latest wielder of the Dark Veil.” Though Kaen and Raphtalia had no idea what the first term was, the Shield Hero understood.

“I got her from a slave trader in the Melromarc’s capital called Beloukas. I went for a slave because I knew that she wouldn’t stab me in the back when given the chance to do it, but mostly because I didn’t trust much of anyone. To be perfectly honest, she was the cheapest one he had other than the ones that were either missing limbs or dead, so I originally picked her because of that.” When she looked up at him with a saddened expression, he continued. “But in the time that I’ve had her in my care, she’s really grown on me. She’s like a daughter to me, you know?” Noting the swishing tail that followed his statement, Max gave a smile of his own.

“Well, I’ll have to go find a few of my own, then. I’ve made a little bit of money, and if you say that the cheapest slaves are the ones that are missing limbs…” He gave a slight shrug, then looked to Kaen. “Guess I’ll have to settle for those. I could probably find some way to help them. Maybe.” Naofumi pulled a small scrap of paper from his cloak, handing it to Max.    
  
“If you really want to go there, I won’t stop you. Here’s the address. Watch yourself, because he’s really shady.” Warned the Shield, and the other responded in kind.   
  
“I’d imagine so. He’s a slave trader, after all.”

With that, the two parties separated, the party of the Veil Hero headed back into the Capital, and Naofumi disappeared into the fields.

=============================================

Back at the capital, the two paid a visit to the church and spent quite a bit of money on supplies, since they were running low on certain materials. They nearly got themselves lost about three different times, going in circles more often than not. Kaen was hopeless with directions (though he refused to admit it), and Max hadn’t been here long enough to get the lay of the land. That being said, when they finally came across their destination, they found that every time they’d gone in a circle, they’d passed the place where they were meant to go. 

Inside the establishment was a small man in an outfit similar to circus ringleaders, complete with a cane and a top hat. 

“Welcome, gentlemen! What can I do for you today?” He spoke with a very distinct voice, and Max internally cringed at the thought of what a place like this might have in store if someone like this was in charge.

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you’re Beloukas?” Max said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“You would be guessing correctly, my good man! I assume you’re the Veil Hero I’ve been hearing so much about? The one who cleared the name of the Shield Hero?”   
  
“You got me. He told me about you, and that you sold him that little racoon girl. I wanted to see how many I could get from you.” In response, that creepy little man gave a creepy little grin. 

“Well, you came to the right place, sir! I can help you find some that are to your liking. What are you looking for in a slave, Sir Hero?” That grin continued to grow, also continuing to creep Max the hell out.

“Preferably something cheap. I don’t have a lot of money on me, so I’m going with the cheapest option.” He remembered that’s what Naofumi asked for, earning him a sidelong glance from Kaen. “We spent a lot at the church, so we need some cheap party members.”

“You’ll be wanting a demi-human, then. I’d offer you one of my Beastmen, but if you want to stay on the cheap side, then I’d consider the former option.”

“‘Beastmen? What are those?” Max asked, an inquisitive look on his face.

“Those are demi’s that tend to grow towards their animalistic sides. Most use them as guard dogs or use them for fights.” Beloukas answered, his fingers touching the tip of his moustache. 

“Alright, then… How many can I take off your hands?” Max stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I want as many as possible. A decently large party will serve me well.”

“If you want as many as you can get, I’m afraid I can only grant you five. Any more than that and you might sink my business, after all.”

During their talk, Beloukas had begun leading them into the back. There were several cages, more than Max could count. People of different races and types were being kept here, most of which being demi-humans of some type.  _ Despicable… _ A voice spoke, and although it was completely blank in emotion, disgust dripped from it like venom.  _ These are living beings, yet they are kept in cages and bound by chains they cannot escape from. If I were given the chance, I would rend his flesh from his bones in a heartbeat. _ Max looked a bit surprised, not sure where that voice came from. He looked over at Kaen, but he didn’t appear any the wiser. Beloukas obviously didn’t say it, considering this was his business. 

He was interrupted when he saw a group of children within arm’s reach of each other, all probably around Raphtalia’s age. They had features that were different from each other, but it was pretty easy to see that they were demi-humans. The sickened feeling in his stomach only grew stronger when he realized that they were missing body parts. One had entire patches of his hair ripped out to the point where he barely had any left, and was missing one of his ears. A second was missing his hands. A third was completely blinded by having his eyes removed with some sharp instrument, burn marks around them revealing that it might have been a fire poker that had been used while it was still hot. There were two girls in the cage as well, one with fox features and the other with those of a cat. Both of their tails had been removed, as if someone just grabbed on and pulled as hard as they could. Not only that, but they were missing fingers, and appeared to be malnourished alongside the others, as they were all sickly looking and thin.. 

Max grit his teeth hard enough to where he felt several of his molars split.

“What the hell is wrong with people? Why would they treat people like this?!” He muttered, his fists clenching. The pain in his teeth brought his growing anger to a standstill, and reminded him of the fact that he’d need to use his Regeneration soon, since he had a few injuries from combat that day with Kaen. 

This gave him an idea, though.

“I’ll take these ones. All five of them.” He could see them visibly flinch when he said that, the largest of the group moving to protect the others as best as he could. 

“You sure? These ones have had it pretty rough, you know? You’d be better off grabbing a healthier one with the coin you’re trying to shell out for these ones, considering everything they’re missing.” However, the moment that Max turned those silver eyes of his on Beloukas, a chill ran down the trader’s spine.

“Did I stutter?” Fumbling for his keys, the slave trader nodded, opening the cage with a shaky hand. “Thank you, sir.” He tossed a coin pouch towards Beloukas, filled with about 110 silver pieces. “The extra is for the ink. I plan to use some of it here in a moment. Kaen, over here, would ya?” His body language said that he was slightly uncomfortable, but he complied. The slaves within the cage scrambled back, the largest one still protecting the others. 

“Stay away from them, you monster!” He all but roared, and the sheer volume of his voice caused Max to hesitate. Rather than let it affect what he was about to do, he continued.    
  
“Monster? Whatever gave you that idea? I’m not going to hurt you. A friend of mine directed me to this place to find a few companions to help in our quest.” This caught their attention. “I’m an adventurer. The only monsters in my life are the ones I fight. I’m not like them, that much I can promise you.” He offered his hand to them, keeping his voice as kind and gentle as possible. 

“Any person that’s bought us as slaves has tortured us or beaten us in some way! Just look at Machiko and Lily!” The two in question cowered behind the loud one, teary eyed and fearful. “How can we expect you to be any different?!”

“Because he is the Veil Hero.” An unexpected voice came from Kaen, who had taken his helmet off for the first time since Max had seen him. Looking remarkably young at the age of 22, he sported red hair and blue eyes, the latter of which were filled with kindness. He crouched down as best as he could, sitting at the entrance to the cage. “He is a hero that is one of the kindest I’ve grown to know. We met with a demi-human like yourselves mere hours ago, and he found the lot of you to be not only adorable, but gravely mistreated within this world.” Those that had eyes to widen did so, looking back at Max after this unexpected information. “Her name is Raphtalia. Do you know her?”

“Yeah… the girl that has the scent of a racoon? We know her.” The boy with no eyes spoke, peeking out a little bit. “You mean you met with her?”

“We did.” Max spoke. “She’s with the Shield Hero. If you come with me, not only will I treat your injuries, but I’ll take you to meet him. I’ll even remove the Slave Crests.” The one in front bared his teeth slightly at the mention of the mark, a guttural growl rising from his throat. The blind child’s nostrils flared for a moment, and his ‘sight’ immediately locked onto Kaen for some reason. Though he hesitated, the one without eyes crawled out of the cage with some difficulty. This surprised the largest of the group.

“Raven! What are you doing?!” He asked, still protecting the others. 

“I’ve been listening to their heartbeats, and they are normal. They don’t have any indication they would be lying to us. Plus, there’s a little of Raphtalia’s scent on them. That being said, I’m pretty sure they’re telling the truth.” Max blinked in response to this surprising logic as he helped the blinded child from the cage. 

“I’m glad you trust us. I’ll get that Crest off of you in a minute, kiddo.” The little one recieved a pat on the head from Max moments later as he turned back to the others. “Come on, guys. I give you my word not only as a Hero, but as a friend. I won’t hurt you. I’ll help you all to grow stronger so you won’t need anybody to protect you.” Once more, he offered his hand. “I promise you, nobody will ever hurt you again. I’ll see to it myself.”

“You promise?” The fox girl asked, looking towards him with a very slight amount of trust in her eyes. 

“Yes. I swear on my life, even.” 

She slowly reached her hand towards his own, only to find that the cat girl had done the same. Their eyes met for a moment, then they moved out from behind the larger of the group as he looked on in horror. 

“Lily! Machiko! How can you so blindly trust him?! He’s probably like all the others! He’ll kill you whenever you’re no longer useful!” The young lion roared, baring his teeth again. To his surprise, the last of them crawled out of the cage without him having a say in the matter.

“That’s enough, Bruno. If we stay here, we’ll die anyways. Better out there than in here, caged up like animals.” He spat, causing the other to lower his head.

“Stop it, the both of you.” Both Bruno and the unnamed demi-human looked up at Max with a surprised expression. “You’re not dying here, nor out there. I refuse to let you die, regardless of where you are.” He patted the unnamed one on the shoulder before offering his hand one more time to Bruno. “If you don’t trust that I’ll do my best to keep them alive, will you at least come along to help keep them safe?” A visible scowl formed on Bruno’s face as he smacked the hand away.

“Grr…. for the record, I don’t trust you for a second. Even if you’re getting rid of our Slave Crests.” He reluctantly crawled out of the cage, standing up completely. Compared to the others, he was quite large, over a full foot taller than everyone else, probably around 6’5”. This left him at an identical height to Max. 

“That’s all I ask for. I’ll make sure to keep you all safe. Kaen, can you pass me the potion?” The samurai passed him a glass bottle, uncorking it for him. “Here. I’ll get rid of the Crest now. Just breathe out and relax, so it won’t hurt.” Bruno pulled down the front of his shirt, revealing the Slave Crest that had been placed on him. He poured the solution on the mark, watching as it seemed to melt away. “There. If you want to be the one to get rid of theirs, feel free.” Kaen passed the boy a couple of glass bottles, which he examined for a moment.

“You’re serious about this…?”

“I gave you my word, didn’t I? If you don’t trust me to do it, I’ll let you do it.” Max switched his Veil to the Stinger variant of Brodiaea, looking at something on his Help Screen involving a few of the functions. _Let’s see… where did I see that entry?_ While Bruno poured the potion on his friends to remove the Crests, Max found the information he was looking for. **Unless equipped with a Veil specifically meant to damage opponents and make injuries remain, any injuries left as a direct result of a Drain Attack will close and completely disappear within 5 seconds of the Dark Veil’s removal from their body.** _Bingo._

“Um… excuse me? Sir Veil Hero?” He looked down, the Help Screen vanishing. The cat girl, apparently named Machiko, had made her way over to him. “Can you do something about Alex’s hands? I know you’ve already done a lot by freeing us, but…” She lowered her gaze. “He won’t be able to do much if he can’t use his hands…” She was surprised when he laid his hand on her head, patting it lightly.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I was planning on helping heal you guys anyway.” He took the ink in hand from the tray that had it, pouring it onto the gem for his Veil. “I wouldn’t be able to help you guys get stronger if you weren’t at maximum capacity.” His HUD lit up with a notification.

**Unlocked- Slaver’s Veil LV I, II, & III**

**Rarity- Ramshackle**

**Ability: Mark of Trust-** _ When equipped with this Veil, you possess the ability to create custom Slave Pacts with all manner of sentient beings. At the cost of being able to give orders, up to 90% greater EXP gain is possible. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

**Stat Adjustment-** _Those imbued with the_ ** _Mark of Trust_** _have increased stat rates when leveling up._

**Veil Hero’s Gift-** _ The trust of the Veil Hero has been given to those who are given this exclusive skill. Any amount of blood from the Veil can be imbued into a party member’s body, multiplying stats for every liter. However, this comes at a cost. If used for more than five minutes on even those that have the trust of the Veil, their bodies will begin to corrode and turn to ash. This increases for every liter of blood that is used, as every liter added to the total decreases the time until corrosion. Use sparingly. _

_ Hmm.. might want to take a look at that in a few minutes.  _ A separate voice was heard in his head, one that he again did not recognize. Regardless, his current Veil, Brodiaea, formed a mask upon his face. “Alright. Something else I need to do before we head out.” When they looked at him with curiosity, their hearts sank when they saw the metallic scorpion tail that protruded from his backside. “I’ll fix your wounds now.  **Gift of Eos.** ” The gem on his hand lit up, passing warmth through his entire body and causing the red light coursing through the metallic tail to be turned to a gentle green.

“Young Veil! What are you-?!” Before Kaen could protest, the tail pierced through Machiko, then Lily, Raven, Bruno with some difficulty, and finally Alex, who somehow managed to evade for at least five seconds. Yelps of surprise and cries of pain from all five rang clear following the sound of splitting flesh. The act caused the other slaves around them to start acting wild, their rage running free upon seeing this. The demi-humans around them started shouting and shaking the doors to their cages, while the beastmen slammed themselves against the bars with savage intent. His right hand glowed green as he pressed it to his chest, regenerative energy passing through. 

“ **Blood Transfusion!** ” The tail began glowing bright green, burning brighter than anything else in the area. It was nearly blinding, and forced the majority of the beings in the room to look away. Even Max had to close his eyes upon seeing it, as it was way too bright for even him to look at. 

Before long, the light faded and Max heard the telltale sound of retracting metal as it dislodged itself from every person, the wounds from the tail disappearing within moments. Each checked themselves for the injuries they believed to have, before Alex noticed something he hadn’t noticed at first. 

“M-my… my hands!!!” The sudden shout brought the attention of the others to him, revealing that what Max had done had not only repaired any of his previous injuries, but had also grown his hands back. This led them to check themselves for injuries, finding that any removed parts of themselves had been restored. The girls had their fingers and tails replaced, Bruno had the hair that had been ripped out restored to its former glory as a majestic lion’s mane, and Raven had his eyes back as well. The realization brought them to the conclusion that everything had been fixed. Six pairs of eyes, Kaen’s being one of them, turned to look at Max, who had been looking down at his Veil again. He had equipped his new one, which took the form of a tattered cape that rested on his upper arm and shoulder. The slaves in cages around him had gone silent as well, stunned into such a state by the sudden development. 

“How did you do that?” Alex asked, flexing his fingers and trying repeatedly to crack them with little success. “I haven’t had my hands since… well, a long time, now that I think about it.”

"A combination of the Veil's natural Regeneration skill, combined with the power of **Blood Transfusion** and  **Gift of Eos** . Long story short, that combination of skills would allow me to transfer my self regenerating power to people that I'm connected to. With the latter of the two gifts, it increases the effectiveness of the healing effect. It allows for it to even restore limbs. Since you guys are so young and have such small figures, the healing effect was a little more potent." He used 'small' loosely here, since Bruno was pretty much as tall as he was. "Bad news is that I can't use it any more today because of this, so that's a bit of a downside. One last thing I'd like to do before we head out, if you'll trust me for a minute." Silence followed that statement, and he continued speaking in order to clear the air on what he was going to do. After all, the last time he asked them to trust him, they got stabbed through the chest.

“Alright. It’s something I want to try. I got a new skill from my  **Slaver’s Veil** after taking that ink into my Veil. Essentially, it’s a type of Crest that doesn’t have as many restrictions or drawbacks to the one it’s on. The skill is called  **Mark of Trust** , and it really only works if both parties are okay with its usage.” The faces of the demi-human children in front of him immediately turned skeptical. “For example, it has a base benefit of 90% greater EXP gain. I can’t give any of the people who have it orders, though.” That caused them to widen their eyes yet again, then to look at Kaen. Triggering his Ogre type and allowing the claw to overtake his arm, Max inserted the index finger of it into his own neck. “ **Mark of Trust.** ” A tingling sensation appeared upon his body, spreading through it at a steady rate. Around the gem on his hand, a deep purple mark appeared in the form of a crown of thorns. A notification popped up on his HUD.

**Alliance formed. What do you wish to call it?**

“See? It’s not the same as a normal Crest.” He held his hand up, showing the children the mark around the gem. Raven, who had reptilian eyes like a snake, looked rather close as he inspected the marking. “Nothing dangerous. It’s a mark to symbolize an alliance. So what do you say? Will you join me?” Each received a notification as he said this.

**The Veil Hero has invited you to join an alliance. Will you join?**

Five out of six popped up almost immediately, their names appearing in alphabetical order beneath his own. As this appeared, they each felt a tingle on the backs of their hands, revealing the same crown of thorns that he had. Bruno was the only one that had yet to actually accept the invitation.

“How about it, Bruno? Can you trust me enough to join my alliance?” He offered his hand once more, the Veil still extended. “If nothing else, do it for your friends. I’m sure they’d like you to stick around.” The young lion growled again, baring his teeth. 

“Fine! Because I don’t trust you with them, I’m coming with you. I refuse to leave them at your mercy.” He accepted the invite, and his level appeared beside his name. 

**Max Syrus- LV 17**

**Alex- LV 6**

**Bruno- LV 7** **  
** **Kaen Hagane- LV 66**

**Lily- LV 7**

**Machiko- LV 8**

**Raven- LV6**

The alliance mark appeared upon his hand as well, and as it did, Max noticed that the mark had surrounded the icons of everybody on his list of party members. There was still the matter of naming the group, though… After he thought for a few moments, Max had an idea, and entered the name into the interface. Every member of the group received a notification.

**You have been accepted into the White Wind Alliance.**

As the Veil Hero switched his Veil to one of his favorites, Enduring Crimson, he turned to his allies with a grin. “Shall we depart, ladies and gentlemen?” 

  
  


_ Alex has joined your party. _

_ Bruno has joined your party. _

_ Lily has joined your party. _

_ Machiko has joined your party. _

_ Raven has joined your party. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please rate and review.  
> What, you expected something clever? Nah, nothing like that. let's just get on with it, yeah?


	6. Gearing Up and Goulash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see a bit more of the demi-human kiddos and their journey to become stronger.

“Hiiiyaaahh!” The snake-like demi-human, Raven, gave a cry of battle as he brought his halberd down upon the head of a direwolf. His tail whipped around, catching its partner by the neck and slamming it into the ground with considerable force. Before it could break free, a deep roar was heard from the throat of a lion.

“ORA!!!” Roared Bruno, slamming his fist down on the beast with enough force to splatter it against the ground with only a few indiscriminate pieces of wolf remaining. As three more leaped up from behind them, two female voices chimed in. 

_ “As source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of creation and create a bolt of lightning to destroy my targets!” _ Lily and Machiko stood side by side, electricity coursing through their bodies. “ **Zweite Chain Lightning!** ” When the spell was unleashed, twin bolts of lightning shot towards their target with the speed of its origin. Both hit a different target, but chained through the opponents enough to do damage to all three. One that had been sneaking up on the battlemages in training leaped up from its hidden position, but was interrupted by one more of their allies. 

“Useless.” As he emerged from the tall grass, Alex disabled the natural camouflage given to him by his race, a rare species of wingless dragons that looked to be a mix of two separate races. His demi-human nature had given him the powers of the Rock Drake, which were fast, deadly, and overall silent. As he disabled his camouflage, his attack became realized, which came in the form of a swift blade that turned the direwolf behind his allies into a finely blended paste. 

As his adopted companions effortlessly dispatched their enemies, Max couldn’t help but smile. To be perfectly honest, he felt like a proud father watching his children grow up. Their levels had all increased by 14, with his own having increased by 7 and Kaen’s by 1. It caused him to blink once or twice when he finally came to a realization, seeing as all of them appeared several years older. 

That was the first thing he noticed, but it was clear just how much they’d actually changed now that he actually took the time to look. Raven’s originally small tail had been grown thicker and longer, growing to about four feet in length and about half a foot in diameter. He had a mixture of black and green scales up and down his body, serving as a sort of thin armor for his joints. Alex hadn’t grown much, but instead had gained several patches of light purple feathers that were focused on his wrists, ankles, shoulders, and elbows. He also had them lining his neck, and there was a thin layer of translucent scales that covered his skin. 

Machiko and Lily had undergone a somewhat more noticable transformation, with their… ahem,  _ assets _ growing considerably in proportion to their bodies, both of which had grown about a foot and a half in height. Machiko’s already tanned skin had grown darker with age, now appearing to be a sort of light brown. She had chosen to keep her white hair long, having it about halfway down her back. Lily had a few similar changes, but had grown a little more pale than her previous form. She kept her hair mostly short, around shoulder length. Bruno was the one who had grown the most drastically, as his original height had been around 6’5”, now having grown to 7’9”. He had grown bulkier, but not ridiculously so. His lion’s mane had been somewhat short before, but now it was in full bloom as a gloriously full head of hair that was rivalled only by the original creature, flowing in the wind like a majestic wave.

“Hey, Kaen… have they gotten older, or is that just me?” Max turned to his samurai companion, who responded rather quickly.

“That is not your imagination, Young Veil. They are indeed getting older. Demi-humans mature as their levels increase, rather than with their age. Many resent that fact, which is why many dislike demi-humans.” His expression was unreadable through his mask, but Max could tell that he was also hosting a proud smile on his face.

Six days had passed since the five in front of them had been freed from captivity. Six days since the seven of them had officially formed an alliance. The mark of the White Wind Alliance still showed itself upon their hands, a mark of honor for the majority of them. The only one who hadn’t worn it as such was Bruno, but his constant hardened expression when looking at Max had begun to lessen into a dull glare. He had done the same as his male companions in calling him Boss, despite him asking them not to, though more often than not he said this with a serious hint of sarcasm in his tone. Much to his chagrin, the girls had begun calling him Master, as if they had been in his service as slaves. They did this to tease him on more than one occasion, earning him strange looks from people around him.  **(A/N. For you dirty birdies in the comments, no. This will not be a pairing, since Max is 21 and these girls are technically around 8. He basically sees them as his kids.)**

They’d visited a few places in that time, including Erhard’s Shop, an apothecary, and the Magic Shop with the kind old lady that he’d helped with her groceries. Around that time, Max decided to use what little he knew about biology to find a way to do new things and help his companions grow. The minds of children are more impressionable, as the formative years take place from ages 1-10, if he remembered correctly. Children were easier to teach around that time, as their subconscious minds would log and store information for later use. Raven took after the Old Man and learned the skills of the weaponsmith trade, though he was still a beginner at it and didn’t fully know how to maintain his weapons yet. Bruno learned the art of navigation and tracking, which always led to the group finding several types of monsters that had decent drops without having to grind through the useless mobs. Alex learned the basics of medicine and poison crafting as an assassin would find the latter rather useful at times. Lily and Machiko were able to get their magic affinities tested, showing that Machiko had no specific affinity while Lily was gifted in both lightning and wind magic. Unfortunately, since they were a bit short on cash at the time, they weren’t able to get everyone tested. So that left out the option of magic for the rest of them for the time being.   
  
Lily knew how to read the language of this world, but Max had yet to actually ask how she learned it. She taught him basic language, and he picked it up rather quickly through various manners of logic and understanding. When you have an effective method for logging and storing information, it becomes pretty simple to learn. For example, the most common letters in the alphabet were the vowels, the most common of those being the letter ‘E’. By process of elimination, he could figure out how the language worked via usage of this same system. 

“Hey, Boss! We’ve finished up over here! We also got the bodies gathered up!” The voice of Raven interrupted his thoughts, causing him to look over. They had indeed dragged over all of the bodies, or what was left of them. Max made his way over to the group, patting all of them on the head in succession. 

“Good work, everyone. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. Anything you want!” The kids cheered, save for Bruno and Alex. Even then, the former did crack a slight smile when he was sure Max wasn’t looking. Alex just didn’t make much noise in the first place, but raised his fist in celebration upon hearing that Max would treat them to dinner. “We’re gonna have to finish up here, though.” He pressed his hand with the gem against the carcasses of the direwolves, and after a set of flashes, drops from the monsters began appearing next to them. This had been given to him as information from Ren in passing, in exchange for a few high quality Usapil hides. One of his hobbies in the past few days had been finding hides of creatures and refining them, shaping them into something more efficient with his inventory system. While one rabbit hide might be worth about 10 copper on its own, a fully refined and treated rabbit hide would go for a minimum of 5 silver. It helped that his process was fairly simple due to his days playing Ark back home, since the system was so similar. 

All he had to do was look at the gem in his hand, then focus on the hide while it was in his inventory. Once he did, it would appear in his field of vision and allow him to modify it. Take the blood out of it, clean the hides to remove any elements to cause decay, put several hides into one to increase the quality… It was an interesting process. Although it meant that he’d effectively be selling 9 hides in one due to the process not quite being perfected yet. On that note, he’d also unlocked a few new Veils based on utility in that time. The first was given when he’d tried putting a few silver into his Veil, only to be met with something new. The same happened with the second, but with a map rather than a bit of money.

**Peddler’s Veil**

_ Stores money to prevent thefts and losing track of finances.  _

**Cartographer’s Veil**

_ Fill out a map that gets larger as you discover more areas. When using it, it takes up most of your vision. Try not to use it in battle, as it doesn’t show any form of enemy locations. _   
  


Anyways, back on track. Their loot this time around was several coins from adventurers the wolves had probably slain, 923 EXP that had been divided up throughout the party, a few common gems, and several pieces of equipment. Most of them were pieces of armor with wolf hide on them, which increased stats based on how many members of your party were wearing this. Based on the math, if his entire party wore a full set of wolf hide armor, the stats of everyone would scale by nearly 700%. While this was exponentially higher than their current stats, they weren’t really all that good in terms of defense or resistance, sporting a whopping -45% in all defense proficiencies that also scaled with their levels, meaning they’d be taking more damage than they were dishing out and would effectively be making themselves into poorly scaled glass cannons.Taking into account that they didn’t have enough pieces for even a full set and Max wasn’t even allowed to equip armor, that option was out. So, scrapping it was. He switched his Veil out for one that he had obtained a little while ago, which he obtained after feeding a piece of armor to his weapon that he had intended to sell. 

**Survivor’s Veil LV I & II**

**Rarity- Apprentice**

**Ability: Scrap-** _ When placing a piece of equipment in your inventory with this Veil active, you gain the option to scrap equipment for 50% of their original resources. You may also scrap higher quality materials for more materials of lesser quality. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects. _

**Treat-** _ When this Veil is equipped, you may treat animal hides and resources that have not been absorbed by the Veil to produce higher quality resources. Higher levels may produce more potent effects. _

  
  


With that in mind, he took the armor pieces that the wolves had dropped, feeding them to the Veil and allowing them to be scrapped. When he had done so, his HUD lit up with an interface. 

**Scrapping Results-** **  
** **(Component) Ramshackle Armor Bindings x10** **  
** **(Component) Primitive Armor Bolts x45**

**(Resource) Primitive Direwolf Pelt x75**

**(Resource) Iron Ingots x15**

He switched to a new Veil after that, one which had been unlocked when Raven had been attacked a few days ago. A piece of his tail had been removed, from the tip to halfway up the tail itself. Since the tail was about 3 feet long at the time, that was a lot to remove all at once. By complete accident, he’d absorbed the tail into his Veil and unlocked a new one in the process. It took the form of a deep green cloth covered with bits of brown, as if meant to hide the wearer. Not very well, mind you, as that was not the use of the Veil in question.

**Unlocked- Hunter’s Veil LV I-IV (Force Unlocked due to excess material)**

**Rarity- Apprentice**

**Ability: Poacher-** _ Use your Dark Veil to quickly rend the hides from the bodies of those slaughtered and deposit them directly into the inventory. Can collect different materials based on the Veil configuration that was used.  _

**Predator-** _ While  _ **_Poacher_ ** _ is in use, this skill can be activated. Rend the flesh from the bones of the creatures you slay and deposit them in your inventory.  _

**Killing Intent-** _ Channel mana through the blood within your body, triggering a chain reaction that slows all enemies in the vicinity through inflicting ‘Fear.’ _

**Bloodlust-** _ Channel your power through the Dark Veil and release the bloodlust of the users from the past, immobilizing a single target through inflicting ‘Fear.’ _

Although he’d used  **Blood Transfusion** to fix Raven’s tail, he still hadn’t stopped receiving death glares from Bruno for missing that attack. 

Regardless, he equipped the Hunter’s Veil in Ivy form, sending the vines of it into the ground. Visible only to his eyes, a swirl of black mist gave an indication of where his Ivy was going to sprout. Raising his hand with the mask wrapping around his face and fully forming, he thrust it down into the ground as a spot of the ground in a one meter radius erupted in a patch of blades. It pierced the bodies of the wolves, draining their blood through the spikes. A foul taste flooded his mouth momentarily, metallic and warm. He grimaced heavily in response, thankful that the liquid never properly went down his throat. 

“Alright, now go!  **Poacher!** ” Black vines shot out from the blades, digging into the dead flesh of the direwolves as they linked to each other like a net. It tore into them without mercy, then took in the hides of the monsters. “Then,  **Predator!** ” The Ivy dug deeper, cutting straight to the bones and stopping. Through his link to the Veil, he could feel the sensation of the vines wrapping around the bones of the creature very tightly, to the point where it could be seen as part of its body were it not connected to him. When every vine had fallen into place, he placed his hands in front of him like a swimmer about to propel themselves forward, arched his fingers, then snapped them out to his sides. The vines followed suit, snapping into place as a polygonal net as they ripped the meat from the bones of the direwolves. The meat was consumed by the Veil, and a prompt appeared on his HUD.

**Unlocked- Direwolf Veil I**

**Rarity- Ramshackle**

**Ability: War Cry-** _ When this Veil is equipped, this skill can raise the stats of all members of the party by 10% for about 30 seconds. Higher levels may unlock more potent effects.  _

He retracted his Veil, allowing it to return to it’s dormant state. He’d kept a habit of keeping Enduring Crimson equipped, since it not only helped him to move a little faster due to it being rather lightweight, but it helped him to parry any surprise attacks if he noticed them fast enough. Basically, it was his go to Veil for pretty much any occasion, since it provided quite a few good effects. However, he noticed that with Veils obtained with materials fed to the Veil, while having several abilities and skills that could be used when equipped, they had no actual equip bonuses, unlike the Veils from Erhard’s shop. They were strictly utility based, for the most part, as he had yet to actually get an attack ability from any of his Veils. His train of thought was interrupted when he received a tap on the shoulder from Kaen. 

“Young Veil, I have a request to make. As you are the leader of our party, I felt it appropriate to ask.” Kaen spoke, looking up at Max as he stood at his full height.

“You know that you can ask me anything, bro. What’s up?” His hands were stuffed into his pockets. 

“It’s nothing serious, but I ask that I take a brief respite from adventuring. It will not take long, around half a day or so.” Kaen responded, sheathing his blade. Max seemed to think on this for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, sure. Feel free. You’ve earned your break. Take however long you need,.” He waved his hand dismissively, that halfway goofy grin of his forming once more. Kaen bowed in response.

“Thank you, Young Veil. I will return as soon as possible.” With that, Kaen turned on his heel, moving away from the party and disappearing into the forest. Right around the same time, Max turned to his party, all of whom were putting their weapons away. 

“Where to next, Master?” Lily asked, sheathing her blade with a grin. Max cringed at the title once more, as he was highly uncomfortable with anyone calling him ‘Master.’

“Lily, please stop calling me that.” He sighed. “We’re getting dinner after this. I kinda want to learn a bit more about you guys.” The five looked back and forth between each other, shrugging collectively. Alex nodded, remaining oddly silent. He hadn’t really talked much over the course of their training, so Max assumed he was the quiet type. He flicked his wrist outward, sheathing his dagger within the cuff of his sleeve.

“Sounds good, Boss.” Raven hefted his halberd, twisting the shaft and breaking it down. The metallic cable within was revealed as he folded the halberd’s shaft, strapping it to his waist. It was a custom weapon he’d gotten from Erhard, who’d liked the idea of a challenge. Though, seeing the equipment that the five of them possessed (or lack thereof), it was clear to him that he would need to get them better equipment. 

“Actually, change of plans. We’re gonna sell the monster materials we got today, then we’re hitting up Old Man’s shop. I want to get you guys some new weapons and armor.”

“Now that you mention it…” Alex spoke with a quiet voice, which was a first. “...I have been noticing that my clothes don’t really suit my camouflaging capabilities very well. I’ll need something new.” 

“No joke.” Bruno agreed, rubbing his knuckles with clawed fingers. “I know I prefer my bare hands, but honestly, those direwolves felt like they were made of iron. It was hard to hit them hard enough to do any significant damage. 

“...are you kidding me?” Max’s tone switched to a deadpan. “From where I was standing, it looked like you turned them from direwolf to dumbass tree in about three seconds by splattering them across the ground.”

“I was thinking of something similar.” Machiko interrupted, diverting the conversation. “I don’t do much physical fighting, but I’d prefer to be able to do it well if it comes down to it.” She pulled her dagger from its sheath, showing a chipped blade, partially corroded from time of inactivity and chipped from battle.

“Yeah, same here.” Lily’s mace seemed to be dented and cracked, done in by time and overuse. “Using this thing is fun, but I think I’ve outgrown it a little.” When she’d received it, it was as if a cat had decided to wield a claw hammer with the size difference. Now, it looked like it would barely qualify as a mace and more as a decorated club.

“Alright, I get it! I planned to get us there anyways! Who do you think I was gonna sell the parts of the Direwolf armor to? Extra bolts and pelts will be helpful in making items.” Max stretched his back, hearing it crackle in response. “Let’s get going. I want to get there at a decent time, when there aren’t many people.” 

“Let’s go bug the old man, then!” Raven grinned, causing Max to don a similar expression. Out of the members of his party, Raven had to be his favorite. Lily was too much in terms of teasing, Machiko was no better, Bruno always acted like he was going to bash Max’s head in, and Alex was nearly impossible to read. Raven was definitely a contender for his favorite kid.

“Are you thinking something rude, Master?” Machiko looked at him with her head in a tilted position. She always could tell what he was thinking for whatever reason. Maybe it was due to intuition? Either that, or he was just really easy to read.

“No, no! Just thinking we should get going. Don’t worry about it.” Max waved it off and began ushering them towards Erhard’s shop.

=============================================

The door swung open as Max and his party entered the Blacksmith Shop.

“Welcome! What can I do for-” As the owner caught sight of who had entered, his grin reformed on his face. “Heya, Veil Kiddo. How’s it going?”

“It’s going good so far, Old Man Erhard. Some of these guys can be a bit mischievous, but they’re fun to be around.” As he raised his hands, both Bruno and Alex moved away from them. The former because he still didn’t like Max very much, the latter because he just didn’t like headpats. Lily and Machiko, however, absolutely loved them. More often than not, just like today, he’d find himself stroking their heads because either they asked him to or they did a good job, just like he was doing now. Occasionally they did the same for him, and t `hough it was a little embarrassing, it was really efficient for stress relief. Raven was on a middle ground, as although he liked them from time to time, too many would annoy him a little. 

“How’s that halberd treating you, Kid?” He was looking at Raven now, who brought out the collapsed halberd and held it out.

“Works like a charm, and it’s fun to use!” If not for the fact that he was in a confined space, he probably would’ve extended the weapon and spun it a bit. 

“What about you guys? Looks like almost everybody’s grown out of their old gear. That equipment is looking kinda rough.” Erhard commented, observing the state of their equipment.   
  
“Yeah, these guys had a few complaints about their gear, so I thought I’d take them by. Since his is gonna be the most complicated…” He turned to the Rock Drake that had been standing quietly in the back. “Alex, can I use some of those shed scales from earlier? We might need them.” Wordlessly, the assassin picked some stray scales from his sleeves that had been shed at some point or another. A feather also fell from his sleeve, but either he didn’t notice, or he didn’t care. “Thanks, Alex.”

His Veil seemed to react when he took the scales in hand, which led him to tilt his head in curiosity. Handing half of them to Erhard for Appraisal, he dropped the remaining scales into his Veil and was greeted by a popup on his HUD.

**Unlocked- Assassin’s Veil I & II**

**Rarity- Journeyman**

**Needle-** _ The way of the Assassin is a long and arduous journey to properly master the path ahead. The power of the Assassin will allow you to fire thin needles of blood from the Veil if it is active. Ammunition is limited, but can be upgraded if introduced to the correct materials. _

**Reaper Sprint-** _ The way of the Assassin is paved with destruction, and the only thing left in your wake is a sea of blood. Use this skill to move faster, moving at speeds that only other Assassins would recognize.. _

“Whoa!” When equipped, it took a similar form to Enduring Crimson, but rather than the red bits of fabric that ran down the sides, it appeared to be a shoulder length black cloak that was covered in deep purple Rock Drake feathers. He imagined that the other configurations of this Veil would yield more interesting things, but that wasn’t his concern right now. Now even more curious and having captured the curiosity of both the party and Erhard, he placed the feather from Alex’s sleeve within.

**Not enough material.**   
  
“Alex, can I borrow a few feathers? I think I can upgrade this even more if I have some.” With another wordless nod, Alex rolled up his sleeve, revealing the purple feathers upon his wrist and elbow. He yanked about five out, two from the wrist and three from the elbow. “Thanks, man. I’ll get you that outfit you wanted after this.” He could’ve sworn he saw a glimmer in Alex’s eyes when he said that, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted that moment to last, so he fed the feathers to his Veil, and sure enough, he was met with another popup.

  
  


**Conditions Met- Assassin’s Veil, abilities increased!**

**Unlocked Assassin’s Veil III & IV**

**Flowing Water-** _ Fluid movements within the speed that you possess are crucial to becoming an efficient Assassin. Move as calmly and as collectively as a flowing stream while  _ **_Reaper Sprint_ ** _ is active, and gain the ability to lengthen the duration of the skill the more enemies you incapacitate.  _

**Iron Whirlwind-** _ There are times when an Assassin is unable to entirely hide from his opponents, and if they appear, he must be ready to strike hard and fade without a trace. Slash every opponent within a 2 meter radius, then vanish before their eyes. Automatically activates  _ **_Reaper Sprint_ ** _ at the end of the skill. _

“Damn! I unlocked a lot of cool things from this!” His head turned to Alex, a grin on his face. “Thanks, kiddo. I seriously owe you one.” Alex just tilted his head in response, that strange little glimmer in his eyes growing brighter. Guess that was one way of showing he was happy, huh? Sadly, the moment was interrupted by Erhard clearing his throat.

“Alright, kid. I took a look at these scales.” Erhard set the scales down on the counter, crossing his arms. “Sorry, but I can’t really do much with these. They’re too flimsy, for starters. I can’t really forge them into anything, because if I try to put them in the actual forge, they’ll melt. If they were dragon scales, I might be able to do something with ‘em.”   
  


“Damn… that’s a little disappointing.” As Max said this, Alex seemed to shrink a little in defeat. “Alex had wanted to find some type of clothes that could blend into the background with him. Make things easier as an assassin, you know?”

“You’re better off going to the tailor to see if you can find some magic clothing for the kid, if that’s what you’re looking for. She can be a bit eccentric, but she’s good at her job.” Erhard stroked his beard a little, looking down at the counter in contemplation. “If you want, you can leave your weapons with me for the time being, and I’ll get them fixed up.”

“Yo, Erhard!” Bruno stepped up, setting his hands down on the counter. “Think you could make me some kind of warglove type weapons for my hands? I feel like they’d be the most effective, all things considered. I do tend to fight with my bare hands, so a weapon that fits that style would be the best.”   
  
“Sure, Kiddo. I can hook you up with something cool. Just let me get a measurement on your hands so I can know what your sizes are.” Erhard grinned at the thought of a new challenge while the rest of the group set their weapons on the table. As Bruno extended a hand, Erhard unrolled a measuring tape to check the various sizes on the lion’s hands. “Fingers… wrists… knuckles…” He was muttering under his breath, nodding from time to time. “Alright, I think I got everything. The cost of everything, if you want me to upgrade it, will be around 10 gold pieces.”

“10?!” Max’s eyes boggled at the idea of spending as much as that. “Jesus, good equipment will really drain your wallet, huh?” He sighed, taking a look around. “Alright, I got it. Oh! That reminds me! I got some new materials for you!” He looked into his inventory, selecting the various resources from the monster drops and placing them into something called a Drop Bag. Basically, a function that created a cheap leather sack that kept a number of items inside for transferral to another person. Helpful when clearing crap out of your inventory that you don’t need. This specific Drop Bag contained the materials from the Direwolves, as well as a few miscellaneous pelts, metals, and components from any equipment that his party didn’t use. 

“A good haul this time, kid! Direwolf pelts are hard to harvest. Their hides are too damn thick for normal knives to cut through.” The blacksmith dug through the bag, nodding to himself while checking the contents. “I think with the added benefit of all these materials, I can lower the price to about 6 gold pieces for all of it.” Raven dropped several bags of something onto the counter, the heavy thud causing Max to jump.

“Then how about we use the remaining four to get us some armor?” He grinned that toothy, reptilian grin of his. It was a contagious smile, which immediately infected Max and caused a grin from him as well. It spread throughout the shop like wildfire, triggering a response from Erhard within moments.    
  
“Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.”

Bruno had equipped a normal t-shirt and pants beneath a set of leather armor that was cut out around the joints for ease of movement. It seemed a perfect fit, so he was fine with it. He was a tough kid anyways, and not a lot actually damaged him physically. Machiko didn’t get anything from the shop for the time being, opting to wait until they got to the Tailor’s store. Lily chose a set of relatively baggy pants from the section of blacksmith equipment, which confused Max after a bit. But after noticing her preference of clothing since she’d grown up was a cross between a sports bra and a shortened t-shirt, he decided not to question it. She also had what appeared to be a brown jacket tied around her waist, probably just in case she needed it. She kept a set of goggles on her head. 

Raven chose a set of deep green chainmail armor that had complimented his natural colors, with the black and green scales on various points in his body perfectly matching it. Though the tail was hard to get through it, Erhard was willing to cut a hole in it to allow it through. Alex seemed to be staring at a hood that would fit under his normal outfit, rather intently might I add. When Erhard was asked, he said an adventurer sold it to him and said it could detect all enemies within a 10 meter radius when put on over the head. Max bought it immediately, giving it to Alex and promising to get it attached to his outfit. 

With that, Erhard palmed his newly acquired ten gold, tossing it into the air and grinning as the party waved to him. 

=============================================

Over at the tailor’s shop, the woman in charge seemed more than a little ecstatic to try something new. Alex and Machiko had essentially told her that they didn’t really care what style they got, as long as it worked. 

First, they’d need some magic thread from the old lady at the magic shop. It wasn’t necessarily hard to get, but when Max asked for a small amount that he could feed to his Veil for something extra, the magic stone in the spinning wheel cracked from overuse. They had been able to get everything they needed, but Max was still disappointed he couldn’t get something more from it. He got a decent skill from his new Veil, but he didn’t know if he’d actually be using it any time soon.

**Unlocked- Spinnerette Veil**

**Rarity- Apprentice**

**Ability- Arcane Threads-** _Turn your fingers into arcane spinnerets like those of a spider. Produce magical threads from your own mana that can entrap foes in it’s snare, conducting magical energy into the target they are wrapped around. Be warned, there is a chance magic may be conducted into you as well._

He wasn’t a huge fan of the whole wire trap trope that you see in games and anime, so he shrugged it off and continued with his day. He knew the day was going to be exhausting, but he was in for a big surprise when he realized that the troubles were just beginning.

The girl in the tailor’s shop seemed to be similar to what he might call a “fangirl” back in his world. Upon seeing Machiko and Alex, she immediately began rattling off about various features like Machiko’s beautiful hair and well kept fur, or Alex’s jewel-like scales and gorgeous feathers. This had all happened before he got her the thread, which he had handed off before this tirade started. Honestly, he tuned out most of it, but started paying attention just in time for her to turn to him. 

“Are these your children, sir? They’re absolutely adorable!” Though Alex seemed to love the praise based on the glimmer in his eyes, Machiko seemed somewhat embarrassed.

“I like to think so. I basically adopted them last week.”  _ Wait, didn’t you answer this question ten minutes ago? _ One of those voices asked, but he ignored it. Evidently, she loved designing things for children and teenagers, once again reminding him of a fangirl. Actually, now that he thought about it, she might be more like one of those cosplay fanatics. Those ones that you see everywhere, while only a few have the skill to pull it off. “Based on the designs in your head, how much do you see the outfits being?”

“130 silvers!” She proclaimed proudly. 

“For each? Alright-” He had begun reaching into his Veil to extract the money she needed, but she quickly placed a hand on it. 

“No, 130 total! I can tell I’m going to have fun with this one!”  _ Removing cost based on how much entertainment she will receive from a product? A highly unusual and scarcely beneficial business practice.  _

“150, for quality assurance and a tip. When can I expect them to be finished?” Max pulled the 150 silvers from his Veil, placing them in her hands alongside the hood that he’d bought for Alex.   
  
“I’ll have them done by morning!” Was that just him, or did her eyes seem to be… blazing? He wasn’t sure, so he wrote it off as his imagination.

“I look forward to seeing how they turn out!” Max gave a grin, motioning to his party. “Time to head out, everyone!” 

=============================================

Their next stop was the Pub, where they planned to eat their dinner. Partially because Max’s wallet was now thoroughly drained from all of this. While the waiter was taking their orders, Max noticed something on the menu that was very similar to something from his world. 

“Excuse me, sir?” He held up the menu, pointing at one of the entries. “How would you describe this dish? I’m thinking about trying it.” He found himself with a nostalgic feeling in his heart when he was told that this specific item was a lot like the homemade goulash his mother used to make back at home on cold winter nights. The thought of it put a smile on his face, one that he was sure to remember for quite some time. “I’ll take that, then.” Raven peeked over his shoulder at the menu, curiosity in his eyes as his tail swished slightly.

“Can I try that as well?” He asked, to which the waiter nodded. One by one, the members of the party changed their orders to the same item, even Bruno. They’d momentarily given up a choice they could’ve made for themselves to try something Max had wanted. His smile grew wider, and he felt more like a proud father than he’d ever felt before. 

When the food finally arrived at their table, the five children took their first bites, and their faces lit up.    
  
“Holy…” Lily began, quickly taking another bite. “I’ve never had anything like this before! It’s amazing!” She spoke through a mouthful of food, and Max couldn’t really help that his smile just grew.

“I can’t believe something this good costs so little! Was it like this back in your world?” Raven spoke, a bit of sauce somehow on his nose. As Max wiped it off with a napkin, he gave a nod.   
  
“Trust me, this isn’t the only thing from my world that could have an amazing taste with little to no effort. Pretty much anyone could make something like this if they tried.”  _ That said, I still haven’t eaten mine… _

“Hard to imagine, if you ask me.” Bruno said, taking bits and pieces of his dinner. He wasn’t wolfing it down nearly as fast as his companions, but he still seemed to be enjoying it. 

Alex wasn’t saying much, but that might have to do with the fact that he had his face stuffed like a chipmunk’s in the fall. Max imagined him with squirrel ears and suppressed a laugh once he had.

“Are you thinking something mean, Master?” Machiko teased, prodding his outstretched hand with her fork. 

“Don’t worry about it. Your food’s gonna get cold.” He took his spoon in hand, taking a bit from the bowl and slowly setting the steaming food into his mouth. Instantly, a rush of flavors took him back in time, back to a time that he thought he’d forgotten.

=============================================

The sun had been beginning to set. 

Elizabeth Syrus had a calm smile on her face, humming a short tune as she stirred a steaming pot and added cloves to the mixture. Her eldest daughter, Nicole, was finishing an essay for her economics class. The youngest daughter, Rory, had been reading a book on tropical rainforests. Their father, John Syrus, was out at the moment, currently deployed on a tour in Afghanistan. He was set to come home any day now. 

The back door slowly creaked open, like a person who was trying not to be noticed was entering as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, being 11 and attempting to be sneaky were generally not two factors that worked well together. A young boy with blond hair and silver eyes crept through the back door, holding his knee with what looked like a bloody paper towel that he’d gotten from who knows where. 

“Max? Is that you? Dinner’s almost ready, so go wash up, ok?” Elizabeth called out, frightening the poor boy for a moment. He toppled to the ground, crashing to the floor with a pained grunt. The paper towel fell away as the impact pried it from his grasp, revealing a scraped and bloodied knee. 

“Ow! Dang it!” He cursed, making an attempt to recover but failing to do so before his mother looked over at him. 

“Rory, could you get the first aid kit from my room, please?” She spoke in a very calm tone of voice. The youngest complied, skipping off down the hallway and heading to her mother’s room. Elizabeth turned down the stove to let the pot simmer, then knelt down to tend to Max’s apparent injury. “What happened to your knee?”

“The front axle thing on my bike broke… I fell off and scraped my knee after that.” As his little sister set the kit beside him, his mother took a pair of tweezers and a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to clean the wound. He instinctively flinched in response, biting his lip slightly to get him through the sting. “Ow… “

“Well, we can always get you a new axle, and get your Uncle Lucas to fix it up. We could even get you a new bike if needed.” As she placed a bandage over his wound and secured it tightly, she cupped his face in her hand with a warm smile. “But remember, we can’t replace you. Be a little more careful, Max.” She stroked his hair as he stood, disregarding his eldest sister’s next comment. 

“I mean, technically you can, but it just takes nine months to do so.” Nicole spoke, finishing up her paper. 

“Nicole, that’s gross!” Rory said, sticking her tongue out.

“Now go wash up, alright? I made your favorite.” Elizabeth returned to the stove, turning off the burner and stirring the pot one last time as Max ran off to the bathroom to wash his hands and face. When he came back, she had already set out the bowls on the dining room table.   
  
The moment Max took a bite, his taste buds soared high above the clouds, praising the heavens for such a wonderful dish. 

=============================================

“...ss? Hey, Boss!” 

His mind returned to the present to find that Raven had been shaking him and his party was staring at him.    
  
“Sorry, got caught up in memories. What is it?” Max asked, swallowing the bite he’d initially taken. 

“You tell me.” Machiko responded, pointing at his face with her fork. “You’ve been crying for a minute or two now.” Without realizing it, he absentmindedly checked his eyes for tears, and sure enough, his fingers were wet after doing so. 

“Don’t worry about it. I remembered something back from my world. A moment from my childhood. A good one.” He took another bite, a smile forming on his face once more as it reminded him of his mother’s cooking. It was a good feeling, to have a taste of home like this. It brought light to this bleak and gloomy world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, this update kicked my ass, hardcore.


End file.
